COD 4: Modern Warfare MP Beta - First Thoughts

I was lucky enough to get a code to join the Beta fun early. Clearly so were a lot of others. But, I am very upset with this game! Why? It has completely taken over my life this weekend. Every spare moment has been spent jumping on Live for some incredible First Person Multiplayer goodness. Those that were wowed by the video from E3 should know that the game's graphics deliver and then some! And this is a Beta! While there has been a few clipping issues and some lag here and there, the game play is fast, furious and fun! Teamwork is the best bet, but as usual there are plenty of folks who just go solo and want to rack up the kills.

One of my favorite features are the challenges during play. Meet certain criteria, like head shots or 3 kill streak during a match and you will unlock various parts or upgrades that you can use to customize your load out. Items like Red Dot Sight or radar come in real handy. You'll even gain the ability to call in air strikes and support from above. My favorite is the Last Stand. Upon being shot and left for dead you can draw you handgun during your last few dying breaths and try to do as much damage as possible.

While only a few maps and matches are available it appears the game will provide all the prerequisite modes we expect. Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag and Search and Destroy and of course a free for all.

No single player campaigns are part of this demo, but if the multiplayer is any indication of what's to come, then COD 4 is set to be king of the hill for military shooters this fall.

I am going to pull some actual game play video and will post later this week.